Luffa Gourd

Luffa gourds, sometimes called “sponge gourds”, are grown primarily for their fibrous tissue skeleton, which is commonly used as a bath or sauna sponge, but young fruits, less than 7 inches long, can be cooked and eaten as squash or substituted for cucumber in salads. Fruits look a bit like overgrown zucchini or cucumbers, and can reach a length of 2 feet. They remain green until they’re thoroughly ripe.

Luffas are extremely vigorous plant; vines reach lengths of 15 feet or more! They make an excellent summer screen plant, as they will thoroughly cover every inch of fencing available to them. The plants flower and set fruit all season.

Plant in full sun in soil amended with compost and a good vegetable fertilizer. Grow the luffas on a sturdy, tall trellis or a fence at least 5-6 feet high. Without a trellis, vines will quickly overrun the garden.

When the gourds are ripe, their skins will dry and the stems will turn yellow. Full-size fruits that are still green produce soft, fine-textured sponges that don’t last. Leave the gourds on the plant to get as mature as possible before harvesting.

After harvesting, let the ripe gourd dry for 2 weeks in the sun. When its skin has hardened and turned brown, open the larger end of the squash and shake out the seeds. Soak the gourd overnight in water, then peel off the skin to expose the “sponge”. Let it dry in the sun for another day.